Shelter
by Jellyfshhh
Summary: Book two of the Flicker series, a KatsukixOC fic. Kurage Awako has now taken the first few steps to recognizing her dream and becoming a hero. She's even started making new friends as well as recognizing her own blossoming feelings for her childhood friend, Bakugou Katsuki. Now she's faced with an all new challenge: tackling her emotions.
1. Chapter 1

"Absolutely not," Kurage Makoto said, his arms crossed over his chest. Kurage Awako stared up at her father, her mouth opened wide.

"Why not!? The doctor said I was in perfect hea-"

"Absolutely _not!_ " he repeated with a forceful tone this time, leaning down and looking his daughter in the eyes.

"You still have a limp, Awako. You still have medicine you have to take to make sure there isn't any poison in your system!" he said, his voice becoming louder. He waved his hand as he said "What kind of father would I be if I let my daughter who was just attacked by a high-class villain participate in an event as big as the U.A. sports festival!?"

Awako could only gawk at him before clamping her mouth shut and wiping her eyes. A week ago she had been attacked in a standard rescue training exercise. The villain just so happened to be her brother, the high-class hero Death Sting, also known as Kurage Naota. She had sustained many injuries during the fight, including copious amounts of jellyfish poison pumped into her system. For now she walked with a slight limp and still had trouble moving for long periods of time without becoming overwhelmed and exhausted.

"I'm fine, Papa! I swear!" she said, waving her hands.

" _No_ , Awako and that's _final!_ " he said, turning his back to her. She couldn't stop frustrated tears from welling in her eyes. This was unfair. How was she going to prove herself to anyone if she couldn't even participate in the Sports Festival?

"Besides," he said, stirring the pot of stew he had prepared for the both of them, "You would only have a week to prepare for the festival. That's not enough time."

Awako slumped into the kitchen table, dropping her head onto its surface with a 'thud' before mumbling something inaudible.

"I just want to find what's important," it sounded like.

Makoto turned his head to look at his daughter for a long moment, pondering if he maybe did spend too much time spoiling her and sighed.

"Awako…" he began, taking the spoon from the pot and tapping it against the edge. "Just because you can't participate doesn't mean you can't go and support your friends. I'll buy a ticket and try to get the day off so we can go together and cheer on your friends, okay?"

She brought her head up, looking at nothing as she mumbled a soft "Fine…"

* * *

"He's right, you know."

"I thought you'd be on my side! You're both doing it now!"

"Doing what?" Bakugou Katsuki asked as he paused mid-punch.

"Coddling me!" Awako said, her arms flailing slightly. The notebook she had in her lap slid off and her pencil seemed to disappear into space.

"We're not coddling you," he said, aiming another punch at a tree. "And get your fucking homework done. I've been done for over an hour now, Wanko."

Awako pouted at the name before patting around the tree in search of her pencil.

"This wouldn't be an issue if you let me copy your homework," she mumbled under her breath.

This was their routine for the past few days now. Every day after dinner she would meet up with her childhood friend, Bakugou Katsuki and they would go down by the river near their neighbourhood and do homework. This normally consisted of Awako prattling on about the day and Katsuki training for the Sports Festival.

After Awako successfully located her pencil she turned to Katsuki, saying "I still want to enter. It's a chance to get scouted by someone awesome!"

He paused to walk over to her, taking the water bottle she handed to him and drink from it. Things had been pretty peaceful between the two of them since the villain incident. Yet to say things were the same would be a lie. She was finally able to stand next to him as an equal and speak her mind freely.

"You could always do what you want. You do it anyway," he said, not looking at her. She replied to the comment by raising her leg and kicking him in the thigh.

"What the fuck was that for!?" he snipped.

Well, it was almost peaceful.

"Ah, this is so boring!" she said, closing her notebook and tossing it aside. She stretched her arms above her head and watched as Katsuki sat next to her, taking her notebook to look over her answers.

"Kacchan," she said, tapping her feet together, "Are you nervous?"

"About what?" he asked, flipping a page.

"About the Sports Festival. You made a pretty big claim that one day after school."

* * *

" _What's going on!?" Uraraka exclaimed as she peered out of the classroom. A crowd of students had gathered infront of the door, peeking inside. Awako had just finished gathering her things and went to join Katsuki's side as a student she didn't really know, Mineta, said "There's no way out! What are they here for?"_

" _Scoping out the competition. Duh, Small Fry. It's cuz we're the kids who survived the villain attack. Makes sense they'd want to scope out the competition."_

 _Awako nodded slightly in agreement before waving goodbye to Tsuyu. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he added "No point though. Move aside, Cannon Fodder."_

" _Kacchan!" she exclaimed as she tugged his sleeve._

" _Can we please not resort to calling those we don't even know Cannon Fodder!" Iida exclaimed._

" _It's true we came to have a look but you sure are modest," Awako heard a voice say from the crowd. This student was tall, with bags under his eyes. He had messy purple hair that stuck out._

" _Are all the kids in the hero course like this one?" he asked, his gaze on Katsuki. Awako moved slightly behind him, peeking out nervously. This guy seemed like bad news._

 _He moved his gaze from Katsuki to her, staring at her for a moment before Katsuki took a step forward, baring his teeth as he said "Huh!?"_

" _Gotta say, I'm a little disillusioned if this is all that you're offering. Those of us who didn't make it into the hero course are stuck in general studies and the other tracks. There are quite a few of us, did you know that?"_

 _Awako eyed him cautiously as she stepped out from behind Katsuki, balling her hands into fists. From what he was saying there was a chance that General Studies students could transfer to the Hero course if they did well enough in the Sports Festival._

" _Consider this a declaration of war," he said. Awako bristled slightly. Before she knew it Katsuki had gripped onto her sleeve, dragging her along with him through the crowd of people._

" _Thanks to you we have a whole mob of haters!" Eijirou said, waving his hands._

" _I don't give a shit," Katsuki growled, looking back at him. "I'm headed for the top. Why should I care?"_

* * *

"It's the truth," he said, closing the notebook and handing it back to her. "I am headed for the top. No one's gonna get in my way."

She looked up at him as he took another drink from his water. She felt a heat spread over her cheeks and she looked away. He was so full of himself sometimes.

"What about me? If I do enter the Sports Festival we might have to fight," she said finally. It was a thought that had been on her mind for a long time and she just now had the courage to say something.

"Like you could beat me," he said with a smirk and a snort. She huffed and punched his shoulder before putting her things back into her bag.

"It's getting late," Katsuki said as they watched the sun set.

"Yeah," she said, tapping her feet together again. She didn't want to leave but she had to. At least he would walk her home.

* * *

"What do you think I should do?"

"Well...there's not much you can do," Tsuyu replied.

Awako rolled over, holding her phone close to her ear.

"It just sucks. I can totally fight. I don't understand why he's getting so protective! Well...I can...but that's not the point!"

She heard Tsuyu croak out a laugh before saying "Bakugou-san might get lonely if you aren't there."

Awako felt a heat in her face and she fanned herself slightly, looking to the side as she said "Kacchan will be fine!"

Tsuyu let out another laugh and Awako couldn't help but join in.

"Besides, there's no way Kacchan feels like that for me. Kacchan likes fighting, not people."

"I think you like Bakugou-san more than you're letting on," Tsuyu said. Awako felt like she was on fire now.

"I-It's not like that!" she said, patting her Shiba Inu plush he had given her when she was in the hospital. She hugged it close to her chest as she said "Not like that at all."

"If you say so," Tsuyu said. "I have to go put my brother and sister to bed. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." she said before hanging up the phone. She buried her face into her plush and let out a tiny sigh. She didn't have feelings for Katsuki.

Did she?


	2. Chapter 2

The night was silent as Awako made her way down the street. Even her feet didn't make a sound as she scampered down the neighbourhood. She clutched the strap to her bag tightly as she finally made it out, determined to make it to her destination quickly.

The waters of the river were calm when she finally made it. Fireflies floated lazily in the air and she felt at home. Peeking into the waters she stared at her reflection, trying to catch her breath.

It was rather easy for Awako to sneak out of her house when her father was always gone on work trips.

She gripped the strap of her bag tighter remembering the conversation they had on the phone just hours before.

* * *

" _I'm sorry sweetheart but I just can't make it. I tried switching shifts with coworkers but everyone is tied up at the moment. We have a really big deal we're in the process of tying in and I can't step down now."_

" _But you promised!" she said, balling her hands into fists. "You promised we'd go cheer on my friends together! Now I can't even go!"_

" _Awako..."_

" _You promised…"_

" _I'm sorry Awako but I have to go. We'll talk more tomorrow, okay?"_

 _She nearly snapped her phone in half when the line went dead. She loved her dad but he had his ways of running away. Ever since the incident with her brother he seemed to run away a lot._

 _Wiping the tears from her eyes she looked down at her phone. She knew exactly what her decision was._

* * *

So here she stood at the water's edge, trying her best to cram a week's worth of training into just a few hours.

She started by a simple push and pull of the water. It was a warm-up technique Katsuki had suggested she start with. She would step forwards and backwards, moving her arms to push the water then bringing them back to herself to pull it. After a few pushes and pulls she would add a twirl into the mix, swirling the water before finally bringing it up and over her body.

She would try to pull as much water as she could into the arch and stand, her arms raised above her, to hold it.

"Wanko what are you doing?"

The water dropped, soaking her to the bone.

"Kacchan!" she exclaimed, brushing back her soaked bangs. He was dressed in casual clothes and had his hands in his pockets. Letting out a low laugh he walked over to her, a smirk on his face.

"It looks like you're doing something you shouldn't be doing," he said. She frowned and crossed her arms, looking up at him as she said "I'm training! I have no other choice!"

"This late at night? You better not fall behind in your studies."

Her cheeks burned for a moment before she perked up, suddenly asking "How did you know I was here, anyway? _You_ should be sleeping!"

He moved past her, bending over to pick up her bag and put it over his shoulder. "You ran by my house, stupid. Of course I saw you when I was outside training. My mom sent me to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine! And put my stuff down I'm not leaving!" she protested before pulling the water from her clothes and hair, dropping it to the ground.

"I thought your father said you weren't entering the Sports Festival."

She paused for a moment, turning her back to him as she began to raise the water from the stream. Closing her eyes tightly she breathed in deeply.

"He said I could enter." she lied, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. She brought the water over her head once again before stretching her arm out. She swirled her wrist, the water twisting around Katsuki's body. He watched it idly as she moved, bringing the stream back to herself before twirling, wrapping it around her own body.

"It's why I'm training," she finished.

She watched him walk over to a tree, setting her things against it. Then he walked over to her, cracking his knuckles.

"First off, your stance is off," he said, kicking aside one of her legs to spread them more apart.

"Second, you have to maintain your balance," he continued, placing a hand on her hip to steady her.

"Your hips," he said, placing his hand on the other side, "Should be where your point of balance should be."

She nearly died then and there.

"R-Right! I'm just rusty is all! I haven't trained since…the attack." she sputtered, glancing from him to the trees to the moon.

"Besides, my quirk use isn't like normal combat," she said, composing herself. "It's a lot like dancing, which I'm sure you know nothing about." She emphasized her point by rolling her hips, moving her arms so the water would swirl around them then back into the stream.

When she looked at his face she took note of the faint redness of his ears. She averted her gaze, her own cheeks reddening. How embarrassing.

He backed off, slipping his hands in his pockets as he said "Let's see what you got then."

For the next few hours she showed him all she had in her arsenal. Every twist and twirl of her body. Eventually she lost herself in her own movements, seeming to glide from step to step.

When she finally stopped she looked over at Katsuki. There was an odd look on his face, one that made him looked spaced out.

"Katsuki," she finally said after calling him a few times. He seemed to snap out of his trance, blinking a few times before saying "We should head home. It's getting late."

The walk home was silent. Awako's limp had returned though she tried to hide it the best she could.

"Let me carry you," Katsuki said, stepping infront of her. She nearly tripped over him with the sudden movement.

"I...No!" she squeaked, looking up at him in embarrassment.

"Don't be a brat, Wanko," he growled, kneeling with his back to her. She sputtered, making more noises than words before finally wrapping her arms around his neck. He stood, adjusting himself to balance her weight. Once done with that he began to walk again.

Awako's face was a blazing red now but she rested her chin on his shoulder. The smell of his scent was strong. Something earthy mixed with soot. He was warm which contrasted to the cool night air.

It felt like home.

Before she knew it she had fallen asleep.

She had awoken with a start. She was laying on her couch, still wearing the clothes she had from training. On the coffee table was a note.

* * *

" _Used your spare key to get in. You better not miss class, stupid"_

 _-Katsuki_

She checked the time. Luckily it was four in the morning. She still had time to sleep. Dragging herself upstairs to her bed she flopped face-down onto her bed. She could still smell Katsuki and it made her face nearly glow red.

"I don't like Kacchan," she said aloud before burying her face into her pillow.

The second lie of the night.

* * *

In the blink of an eye an entire week passed. Yet she hardly had a chance to see Katsuki outside of school. He had holed himself up in the training grounds at school and she had taken her spot by the stream.

Finally it was time for the Sports Festival.

As the trotted onto the field she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in her stomach. She knew her father wouldn't be able to watch the festivities if he was at work yet she still dodged the cameras as they filmed.

"Are you alright?" Tsuyu asked, poking her chin.

"Yeah, just a little nervous," she admitted. Tsuyu was the only one to know that she was entering against her father's will.

"Just try and stay calm. I'll hold your hand if you want," she offered. Awako took it, nearly vibrating in nervousness.

After the R-Rated Hero: Midnight had silenced everyone she called upon the student representative.

Katsuki Bakugou.

Awako's eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she watched him make his way up on stage to speak.

"The Athlete's Oath," he began, "Make no mistake about it! I'm gonna take first place!"

Awako felt her face turn pale. A few students turned their gaze to her.

"Is he always like this? You two are together all the time, right?" Ashido Mina asked. Awako nearly fainted.

"Now! Without any delay, let's get the first event started! These are the qualifiers! It's in this stage that so many are sent home crying!"

Awako gulped, holding Tsuyu's hand tighter.

"And the fateful first year event this year is…!"

She felt her knees shaking.

"This!"

The giant screen read Obstacle Course Race.

Again she almost fainted.

"Racers to your positions!"

As everyone moved to their starting place she passed by Katsuki. They made eye contact and she knew.

He wouldn't go easy on her.

"Good luck," she said to him before getting to a spot.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Start!"


	3. Chapter 3

Awako ran.

She ran and ran.

And then she tripped.

She could have sworn she'd seen some familiar face in the crowd push her back and then she was on the floor, skidding slightly.

People vaulted over her and she curled up, covering her head helplessly. It was a hand on the back of her shirt that brought her back.

"You gotta get up! You'll get trampled!" she heard a familiar voice say. With a yank of her shirt she was brought back up and she tried to regain her balance and run once more.

Kirishima had a hold on her shirt, wrapping his arm around her waist to jump as a sheet of ice began to cover the ground. From that height she could see a student she remembered as Todoroki Shouto unleashing his cold side on the robots from the entrance exams.

As they landed and skidded a few feet Kirishima paused to pat her on the back.

"Be more careful! Now we're even from the entrance exam!"

After he gave her a sharp smile he took off.

She waved him off. He really was a cool guy.

Looking around she spotted scraps from robots that had been torn apart by the other contestants. She moved, finding a nice flat sheet of metal and tucking it under her arm.

She was loping now, hopping over bits and pieces and ducking under other robots before sliding the sheet of metal infront of her. She landed on it, and it skidded a few feet as she moved her hands behind her then forward, crouching slightly so the water from her bag would slide beneath the sheet and propel her forward.

She used this makeshift surfboard to duck and weave between the last remaining contestants and robots, finally catching up to Mina and Uraraka at the second part of the race.

Platforms connected by wire was the next obstacle and she watched as Tsuyu easily crept along the wire. She didn't waste much time, hooking her legs around the wire and pulling herself across the platforms.

" _God you still made it? How desperate can you be?"_

The voice she heard brought back memories but they hung just out of reach.

Once she cleared them she broke out into another loping run, ignoring the throbbing in her leg.

Finally she made it to the final obstacle. The minefield. Explosions went off left and right and she watched as other racers tried to make it through.

This was where she would show off one of her secret moves. Taking a few steps back she broke out into a run. Pushing her legs as hard as she could she crouched, launching herself into the air with a leap.

She landed on the water, using the soles of her shoes to skate across the ground quickly. She slid around the other racers, rotating her hips as she controlled the water beneath herself with the palms of her hands. She took a step with each wave she created. That's when she saw him. His green eyes and short red hair were familiar to her, but the memories of them were just out of reach. He was handsome, moving beside her in quick flickers. His quirk seemed to be teleportation.

He turned his head to look at her, a soft smile gracing his lips. She was so distracted that she forgot to move the water, taking a step and nearly missing a mine. The explosion caught her off guard and she stumbled, landing on her bad leg before rolling forward.

Without looking back she ran, booking it to the finish line recklessly. Explosions went off left and right of her and she flinched at every single one, bringing her arms up to block the shrapnel that flew at her.

With a final push she made it across, running until she hit grass. She flopped down onto it, sucking in air to try and catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" Tsuyu asked, leaning over her with her finger on her chin. Awako gave a tired thumbs up before letting her hand drop, still trying to catch her breath.

Tsuyu helped her up, dusting the grass from her back and asking "Are you sure? Your leg is shaking."

"I'm fine, I promise!" she said, forcing a smile.

"Wanko," she heard, looking up in time to meet Katsuki's eyes.

"I'm fine," she assured him, smiling wider now, though it looked more like she was showing her teeth. She walked a few steps, taking it slow so she wouldn't show her limp. He stared at her for a long moment, his mouth set in a line before turning his gaze back to Midnight. It was time for the second round.

Cavalry Battle read on the screen. Each person was scored with points based on what spot they placed from the race. They were then to separate into teams while the person who was the rider of the group wore the headband of the team's total points. They were to try and steal the headbands of the other teams. Quirk usage was allowed and even if you were to lose your headband or the team formation breaks you were still in the running. The only way to be counted out would be if you tried to force a team to fall over.

They had fifteen minutes to choose their team.

"Kurage Awako, such a sight to see you here."

She turned her gaze from the screen to meet the same green eyes she saw during the obstacle course race. It took her a long moment to realize she was being spoken to, and she had to squint to jog her memory.

Before her stood someone she never thought she'd see again. She was thrust back into summers before school started. She could have sworn he meant something so much more to her, but she just couldn't grasp at it.

She stared back at him, faltering slightly.

"Don't look like that. It's been ages since we've seen eachother. That's no way to greet a friend," he said, a smile snaking on his fox-like features.

"Now I had heard there was a Kurage in class 1A, but I never would have imagined it was you, Awako-chan. I was accepted into general studies myself. How interesting."

She took a step back from him, bumping into Tsuyu as she brought her hands up to her stomach. The frog girl looked up, tilting her head as she looked up at Awako.

Softly Tsuyu took Awako's hand, sensing something was off with the boy.

"A friend?" Tsuyu asked, pointing to him.

"I...can't remember…" Awako whispered, holding up her hand slightly to cover her mouth so he wouldn't see.

"Now, now, don't be like that Awako-chan." he said smoothly, flashing a smile at Tsuyu. "I've known Awako-chan since we were kids. Of course we stopped talking once she went to a different middleschool." He bowed to Tsuyu, saying "Ueno Akihiko. At your service. Nice to meet you…?"

"Tsuyu," she replied, though she held Awako's hand tighter.

"Tsuyu-chan," he said, flashing another smile.

"I-I think it's time to break up into teams," Awako said, dragging Tsuyu away quickly.

"Well, that's the thing, Awako-chan," he said, cutting her off, suddenly appearing infront of her. She nearly ran into him.

"Be on my team."

She stared at him blankly, trying to process his words.

"Awako-chan," he said, his voice hard, "Be. On. My team."

He was so close that she stumbled back a step, immediately running into someone else. A hand came onto her shoulder and she looked up, her eyes wide.

"Wanko, what's going on?" Katsuki asked, leering back at Akihiko.

For a moment Akihiko's cool features faltered.

"Bakugou." he said, "Nice to see you again."

Katsuki's hand moved from Awako's shoulder, gently brushing the back of her neck as he moved to stand beside her then infront of her, slipping his hands into his pockets as he swaggered over to Akihiko.

"Ahhh? And who exactly are you, cannon-fodder?" he said with a sneer. "Is there an issue here or somethin'?"

In a flicker Akihiko stood a few feet away, his expression not changing as he said "I was just asking Awako-chan if she wanted to join my team, though I see you've already staked your claim. Oh well, no big loss there," he said with a shrug.

Katsuki opened his mouth to say something before he was rushed by a group of their classmates. As they bombarded him with requests to be on his team Awako watched Akihiko, the hair on the back of her neck rising.

He flashed her a slow smile, looking her up and down before flickering from sight.

It sent ice cold chills down her spine.


	4. Chapter 4

Kurage Makoto sat at his desk, typing away at his computer. Every few keystrokes he glanced at the pictures tacked to the wall of his cubicle. One was of himself and his now deceased wife, Miwako, her long black hair tied back and wearing a sundress. He snapped it when she wasn't looking, and she looked beautiful despite that fact. The next was of himself holding his daughter, Awako, when she was newborn. His eyes lingered on that picture for a long moment before they moved back to his computer screen.

He sighed, tapping his fingers on his desk top before typing away once more, trying to keep himself occupied. Every so slowly his gaze moved to the corner of his computer screen, staring at the web browser icon before moving back to the document he was typing away at. He wouldn't get in too much trouble if he checked in on the U.A. Sports Festival. After all, Mitsuki's son was participating and it couldn't hurt to see how he was doing.

But he forced himself to focus on the document infront of him, typing away and away as the clock ticked on. He grabbed at his coffee mug, taking a large gulp of coffee before setting it down and wiping the back of his mouth with his hand.

It wouldn't hurt to check up on Awako now, he figured, digging out his cellphone.

No answer.

Maybe he really did spoil her too much.

He thought back to precious moments with his daughter. The trips they used to take during the summer before he got this job and she was out of school. Sometimes they would take along Mitsuki's son after Awako begged and begged for him to come with. He was like a little guard dog and Makoto was forever thankful for his protection, though he always had his suspicions that it came with a price, at least when Awako and Katsuki grew a little older.

There was even a time he called Mitsuki over Katsuki's behavior. That was when they both agreed that the boy had his first crush after all. It didn't make it right for him to pick on her, but in the end he always found some sort of way to apologize to her, whether it be by walking her home from school or by checking in on her from time to time when he was at work.

Then he thought back to when the events that happened two weeks before. It was Katsuki that had found Awako. If they had taken a few more moments longer it would have been too late.

He stared up at the ceiling before pinching the bridge of his nose.

His only daughter had almost died.

He pinched it harder. Guilt bubbled in his gut as he looked back at his computer screen. But she had begged him over and over not to take her out of U.A. Her grades were actually improving and she seemed to ace every fighting test they had. She was skilled in her quirk also and sometimes it brought tears to his eyes that she was so talented.

More guilt.

Should he have let her enter the sports festival? He had talked it over many times with his co-workers. Most had agreed with his choice to hold her back. Only one or two disagreed.

" _She's a teenager now, you know Makoto. You can't baby her forever! Especially since she wants to become a hero," a female coworker of his had stated, crossing her arms. "She'll never learn how to defend for herself if you keep holding her back."_

 _At his expression she had softened slightly, saying "Listen, I know she's your daughter and basically your only child, but you have to let her go sooner or later. Miwako would probably feel the same."_

He grabbed for his coffee mug again, going to take gulp before realizing it was empty. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He might as well grab another cup. It was going to be a long day.

Standing from his desk he made his way past cubicles and coworkers, dodging the ones rushing here and there. He exchanged a few hellos before turning into the employee break room. He waved to the sleepy patrons at the lunch tables before making his way to the coffee pot. Seeing it was empty he sighed, reaching below the counter for the coffee bag and shoveling a few scoops into the brewer. Moving to the sink he got some water before pouring it into the brewer as well.

He nearly jumped when he heard a loud cheer come from the other side of the room.

"Didja see that Midoriya kid? He's dodging everyone on the other teams!"

Makoto tapped away on the counter as he glanced at the TV, catching a glimpse of Inko's son.

"Yeah! With all those points he really is a hot item!"

He filled his cup, adding his cream and sugar to it before mixing it.

"And that team with Bakugou in it! Don't you think it's kind of uneven that they have five members?"

"Well, there is another with five members too, what can you do?"

He turned to leave the room, taking a sip of his coffee before he was stopped.

"Hey, Makoto! Come look! Things are really heating up here!"

He looked from the door to the television then back again. Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a few quick minutes to watch the festival. So he did.

Lumbering over he took a seat on the armrest of the couch facing the tv.

"Turn it up," he said, taking another sip from his cup.

He idly listened as they gave him the rundown so far of the events.

"And your daughter! She's kicking some major ass on Bakugou's team!"

He paused, nearly spitting his coffee from his mouth.

"My daughter? No, no, you must be mistaking someone else for her," he said, waving his hand slightly.

"Just watch! They gotta show her soon!" one of his coworkers said from the couch, pointing to the television.

A knot twisted in Makoto's stomach as he watched, the cameras focusing on the main match between Inko's son's team and Team Todoroki. He took a large gulp from his cup, feeling his anxiety shoot through the roof. She couldn't have entered. He told her not to and she always listens to what he says.

It can't be.

She can't be participating.

" _ **Team Bakugou's stolen two, putting them in third place! A late shake-up in the rankings! That's the spirit of youth for ya!"**_

They showed a close-up of Katsuki's team and Makoto dropped his mug. To the right of the team was Awako, running as fast as she could and supporting Katsuki's weight as he landed back onto his team.

The cup shattered, spilling coffee everywhere and the two coworkers on the couch jumped.  
"Jeez Makoto are you alright? Maybe you had a little too much coffee to drink!" said one with a laugh. The other moved to quickly grab paper towels as Makoto hurried to pick up the shards.

"I need to go right now immediately," he said as he tossed the shards into the garbage, hurrying out of the room before the others could say anything.

" _ **Time's up!"**_

Awako nearly collapsed, panting as she watched Katsuki's throw a hissy fit. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, placing the other on her knees as she bent over.

They had made it to second place. Even after she nearly caused the team to fall over several times from tripping over her bad leg they still made it into second place.

Finally it was time for an hour break from activities.

Awako made her way to the breakroom, pulling her hair back into a bun and wiping her forehead. She scuttled away before anyone could notice, hoping she could reach her bad and take a few pain pills before anyone could tell she was gone.

Digging in her bad she pulled out the bottle, rattling it slightly before popping off the top. Taking a sip of water she swallowed down two pills before wiping her mouth.

"Ah, there you are," she heard a smooth voice say. Turning she saw Akihiko propped against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest.

She couldn't lie, he was pretty handsome, but he still set her on edge.

"Congratulations on second place, Awako-chan," he said. Moving into the room he shut it behind him before taking a few steps towards her.

"You've changed since the last time I saw you," he said, stopping close to her. She moved to take a step back but found herself bumping into the table. He placed a finger beneath her chin, turning her head to look up at him. His hand was cold and it made her shiver which brought a smile on his lips.

"You're cute now," he said.

"D-Don't…" she said, covering her stomach with her arms, "Do that. Don't touch me."

The smile on his face never wavered as he eyed her. It made her feel gross.

The door opened suddenly and Katsuki stood in the doorway, his hands in his pockets. Quickly Akihiko stepped away before saying "Ah, Bakugou. I was just congratulating Awako on second place. So, congrats." he said smoothly before walking towards the door. Katsuki leaned his arm on the doorframe, craning his neck out to leer down at Akihiko.

"Is that so, cannon fodder?" he snarled lowly.

Akihiko raised his hands, saying "There's no need to be hostile. We're all friends here, Bakugou."

Awako bit her lip before speaking up "You're no friend of mine. Don't touch me again."

Akihiko turned to look at her, an odd look on his face as he stared her down. Primal fear welled up in her stomach at his stare and she remembered it from so many years ago.

Then he smiled at her again. Sliding his hands into his pockets he moved to the door, looking up at Katsuki before flickering to the other side of him and into the hallway.

"I was going to ask Awako-chan if she wanted to eat lunch together with me, but I see you're always here as a guard dog. Oh well, maybe next time I'll get my chance," he said before heading down the hallway.

Katsuki stared after him as he left before turning his gaze to Awako.

"Are you alright? I noticed you were limping through the race," he asked, walking over to her.

She took a moment to collect herself before nodding.

"I'm fine. Just...kind of reeling."

"Who was that asshole, anyway?"

"It's hard to remember," she said, looking up at him. "I think he used to bully me when I was little. Before we met."

He rubbed his chin before contorting his face into a sneer.

"Piece of shit," he growled softly.

Awako blushed slightly, fidgeting with her hair. She hadn't seen Katsuki this protective in a long while and it made her chest flutter.

"Don't worry," she said, stepping closer to Katsuki and lightly touching his arm.

"I won't let him get the best of me, Kacchan."

His face softened as he looked down at her. He brought his hands up, and they hovered on either side of her head for a moment. He looked like he wanted to touch her face but he let them drop.

"C'mon Wanko. Let's get lunch," he said, turning abruptly and walking out the room.


	5. Chapter 5

"Class 1-A, why!?"

Awako stood next to Tsuyu, shaking furiously in the cheerleader outfit. She knew something was up when Mineta had come to them.

When she looked to Katsuki, he simply gave her a patronizing smirk and looked away, covering his mouth to hide his laugh.

She noted the tinge of pink at his ears.

"Once that's over, we're on to the final event! Between the 18 members of the four winning teams, we'll have a formal tournament! One on one battles!"

Awako dropped her pom poms. The pain medicine she had taken earlier had yet to take effect and her leg was throbbing in pain.

She kneeled, rubbing her hands over her knee. Tsuyu patted her back, saying "Does it still hurt? Maybe you should withdraw too…"

She shook her head, standing and balling her hands into fists.

"I can do this," she said, puffing out her chest. "I have to. I don't have a choice now, Tsu. How else am I going to get noticed as a hero?"

Tsuyu poked her chin, saying "Yes, but you could seriously get hurt, Awako-chan. I don't want that."

She exhaled, her shoulders drooping a little as she did. Tsuyu did have a point, but she was too riled up from what happened in the breakroom to back down now.

Giving Tsuyu a smile she said "Don't worry! I'm ready to start with my fists flying!" She punched the air for emphasis, nearly decking Katsuki in the chin as he approached her. He grabbed her wrist, the slight hint of a smirk on his face.

"Watch it. Are you ready to put your training to the test?" he asked, a suddenly serious look on his face as he bent his head to speak to her.

"You can still withdraw," he added.

"I'm not withdrawing!" she boomed, waving her arms. "I'm fighting and no one's gonna stop me!"

He met her determined gaze, the corner of his mouth turned up. He reached a hand out to ruffle her brown curls before chuckling.

"You two really are friendly," Tsuyu interjected suddenly, looking up at the both of them. Awako's face turned a bright red while Katsuki turned to sneer at her.

"The fuck was that, Frog Face?" he said, his lip curling despite the blush on his face.

"And here are the matchups!" they heard Midnight announce. They turned their attention to the screen.

"Uraraka?" Katsuki said.

Awako glanced at Uraraka, biting her lip as she saw the girl's expression. She was in for it for sure.

Izuku had been pitted against the purple haired boy from before, the one who declared war on the class, Shinsou. Good. She didn't want to fight him at all.

Her eyes scanned the other matchups. Everyone from her class seemed to have been matched up so she wouldn't fight them.

A hand on her shoulder jolted her upright.

"Awako-chan, looks like we'll be fighting," Akihiko said with a grin. His eyes raked over her outfit and he let out a low laugh before sliding his hand down her back and pulling it away.

"Winner fights your guard dog," he said, pointing to Katsuki. He leered back, moving to step between the two of them.

"She said not to touch her," Katsuki growled. Even Tsuyu stared at him, an aura of anger coming from her.

"I don't like him," Tsuyu whispered to her once he had flickered back a foot. Awako nodded, not moving her gaze from him as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You see I just can't help myself. She really is cute, don't you agree, Bakugou? Such a fragile thing. You should probably withdraw now, Awako-chan. I don't want to hurt your pretty little face." Akihiko said, smirking slightly. Katsuki looked like a demon, tiny explosions coming from his hands as he took a step forward.

Awako shook slightly, anger bubbling in her gut as she glared at him.

"Enough," she said, tilting her chin high and taking a step toward him. "Save the chat for the ring when we fight."

She took another and another, and soon her chest bumped his. He was smiling now, keeping his hands placed in his pockets.

"I'm not scared of you," she said to him. "I'm not attracted to you either," she continued, pushing him back. "Don't touch me, and stop hitting on me."

His smile faltered, his eyes widening slightly.

"I will beat you, make not mistake." she said. Then she turned on her heel, flouncing away from him to the others, not once looking back.

Her eyes met Katsuki's, the same strange look on his face as the day she was training.

For the time being she spent the downtime of the festival in the break room, pumping herself up to fight. She had cheered with the other girls for awhile, actually enjoying herself after the incident with Akihiko. Now she was resting, her head on the table as she tried to take a quick nap.

Memories flooded her mind as she did her best to remember why exactly she hated Akihiko so much. She remembered summer and school days and afternoons of hanging out with him when she was much younger. Then the incident with her brother happened. As news of the murder of her mother by his hands had gotten around, her group of friends slowly dwindled to none.

She was given the cold shoulder by ones that used to race to play with her. Whispers formed behind her back.

Then she remembered the looks. Akihiko's look mimicked it well. His look of contempt for her.

Anger flickered in her chest again as she remembered well what he tried to do.

" _You're a monster just like you brother," he had said, that same smile on his lips as his friends picked up rocks from the ground. He had one clutched tightly in his hand as he took steps towards her trembling body._

" _I'm going to become a great hero," he said, puffing his chest up in pride. The others grinned at his words._

 _Awako wiped the blood from her nose, most of the scrapes and bruises caused by Akihiko's friends while he stood and watched._

" _And you know what heroes do to monsters?" he asked, tilting his head. She shook hers furiously, bringing a hand up to her face._

" _They kill monsters."_

 _He raised his rock, snickering lowly._

" _Hey!" they heard someone shout. Akihiko turned his gaze to Bakugou Katsuki, who was running towards them, his palms crackling. She watched him flicker from sight before Katsuki landed the first punch._

It was time.

She slowly made herself stand from her seat in the prep room, tying her hair back in a ponytail.

The door had opened, Katsuki standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Ready?" he asked, his eyes focused on her face.

She nodded, touching her hand to stop the shaking that had gone through her body.

He had stepped through the doorway, closing the door behind him.

She could have sworn she heard a click from the lock.

He made his way to her, his steps steady and slow.

"I can do this," she said to him as he moved close to her. "I can beat him, Kacchan," she said, puffing herself up. Her eyes moved to his mouth, which had turned up slightly at the ends. She couldn't tear her gaze away from it and she felt nervous knots twisting in her stomach.

She nearly flinched away as she felt his calloused hands touch her cheeks. Her moved her head to look up at him as he bent his head over hers.

"You can do this," he repeated to her softly, his voice low. "Remember your training. Use your hips. Keep your balance. Your stance should stay low."

She nodded with each sentence, her gaze moving from his mouth to his eyes and back again.

He brought her face close, their noses nearly touching.

"Don't lose, Wanko," he said. They were so close that she could feel his breath brushing her face.

Then he stepped away from her, his hands sliding from her face and landing at his sides.


End file.
